Fan review: DMB gives fans a memory

Wednesday

Jul 3, 2013 at 4:54 PMJul 3, 2013 at 4:59 PM

Noted Dave Matthews Band fan Randy J. Regan recently recalled some of his favorite moments seeing the band play Bethel Woods Center for the Arts. And now Regan of Bethel is contributing with more of his favorite moments.

Here's a review by Regan of Tuesday night's Matthews concert at Bethel Woods.

By Randy J. Regan

On a hot and humid Tuesday night, the world-renowned Dave Matthews Band took the stage at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts for the fourth time, solidifying Bethel as a yearly stop. This time around, the boys of summer were supported by up-and-comers Fitz & the Tantrums. The anticipated weather forecast, showing rain and thunderstorms, did not deter fans from the tailgating scene at Bethel, and instead it was an incredibly relaxed environment.

Following the normal rituals of a Dave Matthews Band concert, Matthews himself came out to introduce Fitz & the Tantrums to the stage, which included a little “Davespeak” about the Museum at Bethel Woods. Fitz & the Tantrums performed its whole set with tons of energy, getting the crowd participating throughout. During its performance the band went back to the 80s and played an interesting take on the Eurythmics hit “Sweet Dreams,” which was well received.

Around 8:20 p.m., DMB took the stage, opening its set with a slow, relaxing version of the song “Sweet.” Following “Sweet,” the band played more fast-paced songs, including “Louisiana Bayou” and fan-favorite “Warehouse.” Later, Matthews introduced his song “The Idea Of You” by joking about how he was in love with his babysitter, and that is where his inspiration came from for this song. That was followed up with a jammed-out version of the 1998 hit song “Crush.“ A few songs later, the boys played their first hit single “What Would You Say” for the first time at Bethel.

“What Would You Say“ was followed with two relatively new songs, “Drunken Soldier” and “Kill The Preacher,” then back to the older fan favorites. “Don't Drink the Water” was played as the 12th song of the evening, which was also when the rain would finally let loose from the sky. During the song “Recently,” off of the band's 1993 release of the same name, Matthews flubbed the lyrics in the second verse, but the crowd didn't mind at all, rather embracing it. At the peak of the set, Matthews' shirt was clearly drenched in sweat from exerting an immense amount of energy as he connected with his fans.

For the only cover in the set, the band burst into Blue Oyster Cult's “(Don't Fear) The Reaper” with trumpet player Rashawn Ross playing the cowbell, which the crowd went nuts for. To end its main set, the band played longtime crowd favorite “Jimi Thing,“ a version that included Matthews scatting and every band member having a solo to showcase their skills, with the fanbase singing along, note for note.

For the encore, “Shake Me like a Monkey” was played, which segued into drummer Carter Beauford slamming on his snare drum to open “Ants Marching.” Ants Marching closed out the encore, seemingly leaving almost everyone in the nearly sold-out crowd happy.

Throughout the evening, Bethel was treated to great music by a band that played songs spanning their 20-plus years, and a newer band that looks to have a long future ahead of it. Both bands played with an incredible amount of energy and gave a memorable experience that should remain in most fans minds for a long time to come.